I’m curious how Percy would respond to our current societal fascination with Facebook, Twitter and blogging in general. I suspect his reaction would be complex. This is a man who feared the demise of modern man, yet spent hours watching soap operas. Perhaps he enjoyed watching the train wreck.

I think our ability to broadcast our personal thoughts and life events has shrunk the world. It no longer matters if my friends are half the world away; we exchange life’s little moments in a way that reminds us that we are not alone. Yes, it is frivolous and pedestrian, but it is better than loneliness. Besides, most daily interactions rarely rise beyond this level.

Admittedly, it does seem like a poor substitute for actual face to face interaction, but it is better than allowing oneself to slip away altogether.

Tags: modernity, technology, writing

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“To fix the thoughts by writing, and subject them to frequent examinations and reviews, is the best method of enabling the mind to detect its own sophisms, and keep it on guard against the fallacies which it practises on others: in conversation we naturally diffuse our thoughts, and in writing we contract them; method is the excellence of writing, and unconstraint the grace of conversation.”

- Samuel Johnson: Adventurer #85

Tags: Samuel Johnson, writing

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